Drying-kiln.



PA'TENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

H. J. MORTON.

DRYING KILN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2 1903.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Mamas d:

PATBNTED AUG. 30, 1904 H. J. MORTON. DRYING KILN.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY'Z, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

Patented August 30, 1904.

PATENT OEEicE.

HORACE J. MORTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRYING-KILN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,813, dated August 30, 1904.

Application filed July 2, 1903. Serial No. 163,990. (No model.)

To Ml whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE J. MORTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drying-Kilns, of which I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact clescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

In the drying of difierent kinds of lumber within drying-kilns it is desirable that provision be made for effectively controlling the temperature and circulation of air within the kiln. With certain kinds of lumber such, for example,as cypress-a comparatively high temperature and slow circulation of air is desirable, while with other kinds of lumber such, for example, as pinea more rapid circulation of air is required within the-dryingchamber. So, also, ifthe drying-kiln be of considerable length and adapted to receive a number of truck loads of lumber it is desirable that the different parts of the kiln should be maintained at different temperatures and with different air circulation, the highest temperature and slowest circulation being ordinarily maintained adjacent the discharge end of the kiln.

One object of the present invention is to provide a drying-kiln with outlet-channels having a plurality of valved discharge-ports, whereby the temperature and circulation within the kiln or at any part thereof may be varied to suit the characterpf lumber that is being dried.

In converting ordinary rooms into dryingrooms for lumber it is frequently desirable to avoid the formation of air-admission and discharge-channels in the walls of the building; and a further object of this invention is to provide a simple and effective means whereby an ordinary roomsuch, for example, as a room having brick walls-may be converted into a drying-room without the necessity of forming air admission and discharge channels in its walls.

WViththese several objects in view the invention consists in the features of improvement hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through the drying-room of a kiln embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section through one of the inletchannels. Fig. 3 is aview in vertical section through a portion of one of the side walls and through one of the vertical outlet-channels on the inner face of said-wall.

In the accompanying drawings my invention is shown as applied to a two-story building, the lower. portion of which only is used as a dry-kiln and the Walls of which building are of brick. This illustration of my invention is designed more particularly to show how an ordinary building may be converted into a drying-kiln or may have one of its rooms converted into a drying-chamber without the necessity of forming air admission and discharge channels or ducts/vertically through the walls of the building. 7 It will be understood, however, that my invention is susceptible of use in a great variety of structures, and in practice lumber-drying kilns of the character hereinafter described are made of various lengths with single or plural drying rooms or chambers of one or more stories and With the admission and discharge ports of the airchannels leading through the side walls or roof of the structures.

A designates the side walls of the kiln, these walls, as shown, being of solid masonry, and B designates the ceiling of the drying room or chamber. Upon the inner face of one of the side walls A are fixed the series of air-admission channels or ducts C and the series of air-discharge channels D, the channels C and I upper face of each of the lateral extensions or branches is provided with a series of graded ports 0, c, (i a", and 0 the ports 0 c, &c., nearest the inlet-channels U being smaller than the ports nearest the discharge ends of the lateral extensions (3. The purpose in thus providing the lateral extensions or branches C with graded discharge-openings is to insure a more uniform distribution of the fresh air beneath the lumber within the kiln. In prior structures, in which the openings of the lateral extensions leading from the fresh-air-inlet channels have been of uniform size, it has been found that the tendency of the incoming air is to rise directly through the openings nearest the inletchannels in greater volume and more rapidly than through the openings in the lateral extensions farther from the inlet-channels, thus detracting from the uniformity of the supply of air beneath the pile of lumber to be dried. By grading the openings in the lateral extensions C a more uniform supply of air to the lumber is insured.

Each of the outlet-channels D is provided with a plurality of exhaust or discharge ports (Z, these ports being arranged at different distances from the ceiling or top of the kiln, and

each of the ports (Z is provided with a valve (Z, preferably furnished with a knob or handle (Z for its convenient manipulation. The valves for controlling the ports (Z of the channels D may be of any suitable character. As shown, the channels are furnished adjacent their ports (Z with guideways d, in which the valve ('Z may slide back and forth. The upper ends of the outletchannels D communicate with outlet-ports (Z2, formed in one of the walls A immediately below the ceiling or top of the drying-room.

The lower part of the drying-room will be provided with suitable rails E, on which the lumber cars or trucks will travel, these rails being supported in the usual manner above the heating apparatus to be hereinafter described. The drying-kiln may be of any desired length, and its ends will be closed by doors in the usual manner.

It will be understood that the inlet-channels land outlet-channels D will be arranged in any desired number, depending upon the length of the kiln and upon the number of truck-loads of lumber that are to becontained within the kiln at the same time.

If the kiln. be a short one and designed for drying, say, one truck-load of lumber only at a time, and if it be assumed, for example, that the lumber to be dried is cypress, which requires a comparatively slow circulation of air and a high temperature to be maintained within the kiln, the lowermost ports (Z of the several outlet-channels D will be open, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. On the other hand, if the lumber to be dried be pine, the lowermost ports of the outletchannels D will be closed and the central or uppermost ports (Z of these channels D will be open. It will thus be seen that by providing the outlet-channels with a plurality of dischargeports arranged at different distances below the ceiling or top of the drying-room the circulation and temperature of the air within the room can be more readily controlled, so as to better adapt the kiln for different kinds of lumber or for the different conditions of lumber. If the kiln be a long one, adapted to receive a number of truck-loads of lumber, it is often desirable to modify the circulation and temperature of the air at different points of the kiln, it being customary to provide for a lower temperature and quicker circulation adjacent the entrance of the kiln than at its discharge end.

When the invention is to be applied to long kilns, the lowermost discharge-ports (Z of the outlet-channels l) nearest the discharge end of the kiln will be open, and the outlet-channels nearest the admission end of the kiln will have their central or uppermost ports (Z open.

An advantage incident to providing the drying room or kiln with inlet and outlet channels upon the inner face of its wall is that by this means the formation of such channels within the wall of the room is avoided, and I am thus enabled to readily adapt ordinary rooms or buildings for use as drykilns.

Beneath the rails E, whereon the lumbertrucks will be supported, extends a series of longitudinally-disposed steam-pipes F and F, these pipes F and F being united at their outer ends by return-bends f. The inner ends of the pipes F are connected to a header G, to which steam will be admitted by a pipe g, and the inner ends of the pipes F are connected to a header G, that is connected by a pipe g with a pipe H for exhaust and for draining away the water of condensation. This pipe H may lead to the usual trap. (Not shown.) The admission-header G is connected with a condensation-pipe H by a water seal that, as shown, consists of a reverselybent pipe J. The end 1' of this pipe J at its point of connection with the pipe H is preferably raised somewhat above the level of the condensation-pipe H. Preferably the bottom bend of the pipe J is provided with a draincock j.

Steam being admitted by pipe 1 to the header Ur will pass through the pipes F and then through the pipes F, whence it will pass by the condensation d rain-pipe H to the steamtrap. Water of condensation from the pipes F and F will flow, respectively, into the headers G and G, passing directly by the pipe 7 from the header G to the condensation-pipe H and passing from the header (i through the water-seal pipe J to the condensation-pipe H.

By inter-posing awater-seal pipe J between the admission-header G and the pipe through which water of condensation or exhaust-steam is carried away from the-system the steam admitted to the header G is caused to flow first through the pipes F and then through the return-pipes F, thereby insuring the expulsion of air from these pipes and insuring a more effective circulation of the steam. The water within the seal J will afford suflicient resistance to prevent steam passing from the admission-header G into the drain or exhaust pipe H and thence to the header Gr, and this is a manifest advantage, because if the steam when admitted to the header Gr were allowed to pass to the pipes F through the drain or exhaust pipe H and header G at the same time that steam was passing directly from the header G to the pipes/F then manifestly airpockets would be formed in the outersportions of the pipe F and F and an effective circulation of the steam would be prevented.

It is manifest that the'precise details of construction above set forth may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and that features of the invention may be adopted without its employment as an entirety.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A drying-kiln of the character described provided with suitable inlet-channels for the admission of air in the interior of the kiln and provided with a series of outlet-channels, said outlet-channels having a plurality of exhaust-ports arranged at different distances from the top of the kiln and valves for controlling said exhaust-ports.

2. A drying-kiln of the character described provided upon the inner face of its wall with a series of outlet-channels opening into the kiln and suitable exhaust-channels connected with the upper end of said outlet-channels.

3. A drying-kiln of the character described provided upon the interior of its wall with a series of inlet-channels for the admission of fresh air, said inlet-channels being open at their bottom and being provided at the top with inlet-ports and a series of outlet-channels upon the inner wall of the kiln, said outlet-channels being provided at their lower ends with ports for the discharge of air from the kiln and being provided at their upper ends with exhaust-ports through which the air is conveyed from the kiln.

HORACE J. MORTON.

Witnesses:

GE RGE .P. FIsHER, Jr., ALBERTA ADAMIoK. 

